Wherever the Leaves May Fall
by CallMeToHogwarts
Summary: Eight years after the end of the war, Katara gets pregnant. Will she and Aang be able to cope with her pregnancy symptoms and help rebuild the world at the same time? Canon pairings, as well as a few others.


Hiya everyone, and welcome to my first story! It takes place about eight years after the teashop scene in the series finale. Hope y'all in enjoy.

Warnings: The story is currently T, but may be changed due to future content.

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><p>"Katara," said Aang, lightly stroking her hair. "Wake up."<p>

She opened her eyes slightly, but immediately shut them, too exhausted to keep them open.

"A few more minutes," she said, burying herself in the sheets of their bed.

"You've been so tired lately," her husband said. "Are you sure you're able to go to work?"

"I'll be fine, Aang. Just give me a couple more minutes."

"I'll go make breakfast," he said, kissing her forehead and leaving the room.

She had to smile at her husband's sweetness. Even though they had been married for four years, he had never stopped treating her as nicely or as compassionately as he did when they first started dating eight years ago. They were currently living in Ba Sing Se, where Aang could easily receive messages calling for help and communicate with the Earth Kingdom government; Katara worked in the city as a doctor.

Over the past few days, though, she had been wearing down to a level she couldn't control with her healing abilities or her seemingly endless supply of healing herbs. She had been vomiting and using the bathroom at an increased level for about a week, and had been overly exhausted for longer than that. Deducing it down to a common bug, Katara wasn't worried, but Aang was.

Finally deciding to get up, she threw on her clothes for the day and walked into the kitchen, where Aang was tending to some tea on the burner. She kissed his cheek before helping him crack the eggs open for their breakfast. However, almost immediately after she cracked open the first one, she felt a wave of nausea crash over her and she had to rush over to the toilet. Aang followed behind her, getting there in just enough time to hold up her hair as she vomited.

"I don't think you should go to work today," he said, fetching a wet cloth for her to clean up with.

"I'll be fine. It's probably just stress. Besides, Toph's back in town and we're eating lunch with her today. She'll kill me if I miss that."

Now that he was twenty-one, he was much taller than when he had first come out of the iceberg and had passed her own height by several inches. His face had aged too, and he now looked like a handsome adult instead of an adorable twelve-year-old. She herself was nearing twenty-three, and had filled out over the years, but not grown much.

"She'll understand if you're sick," he said, handing her the cloth.

"Thank you," she said, taking the cloth and wiping off her face. "But I promise I'm fine. I don't have a fever, so there's no reason for me not to go in today."

"Okay, but at least let me walk you to work."

"I think I can managed that."

Work that day was slow, and she was glad to have an extended lunch break. Not to mention, she hadn't seen her friend in weeks, so she was glad to have a chance to catch up. Cramps in her lower abdomen were slowing down her walk a bit, but she got to Iroh's teashop, The Jasmine Dragon, before Aang did. Toph, however, was already there.

"Hello, Katara," said Iroh, welcoming her in to the shop, which was closed for their small gathering. "Ginseng, as usual?"

"Yes, please," she said, hugging him before entering the shop.

"Sugar Queen," said Toph, walking over to her with her eyes wide. "Talk to me outside for a second."

"Sure," she said, concerned. "What's up?"

Once they were properly outside and out of Iroh's earshot, Toph said, "You're pregnant?"

Katara almost fainted right there. "I'm what?"

"There's a little thing inside of you," said Toph, poking her stomach, "I can feel the vibrations. You didn't know?"

"No," said Katara, unsure whether to laugh or to cry. "I didn't."

"Oh, well, congratulations."

"Wow," she said, sitting down on the steps of the shop and laughing. "I can't believe it. I can't believe I didn't notice."

"Me either, considering you're a doctor. I'm suddenly concerned for your patients."

"You're unbelievable," she said, but smiled. All of her ailments suddenly made sense. "Judging by the symptoms, I'm about six weeks past conception."

"Are you sure?"

"Well, let's just say that Aang's birthday was six weeks ago, and-"

"I've heard enough," said Toph, plugging her ears. "Let's go inside before father-to-be finds you freaking out on the steps."

"You can't hint anything," she whispered, as they walked back into the shop. "I have no idea how I'm going to tell him."

"Break it to him gently. You don't want him to pass out on you."

"I can't believe it," she said for the second time, a tear slipping from her eye. "Wow."

"I couldn't help overhearing," said Iroh. "Congratulations. Being a parents is indescribable."

"Thank you, General Iroh," she said, the tears flowing freely.

There were so many emotions running through her head: shock, amazement, fear, and excitement. It wasn't a planned pregnancy, but it wasn't unwelcomed by her, and she knew it wouldn't be unwelcomed by Aang either. It was actually the perfect time to have a baby; the rebel attacks had slowed and many of the rebuilding projects were started to a point to where they could be continued on their own.

"I'll get you some ginger tea," he said, going back to the burners. "It'll help with some of your pregnancy symptoms. When my wife was pregnant with my son, she drank it every day and it helped with the morning sickness."

"I can't believe it," she said.

"Sit down before you're the one passing out," said Toph, pulling out a chair for her. "I doubt that'll be good for the baby."

"I'm okay," she said, but took a seat anyway. "I'm so happy."

"I hope you don't mind," said Toph, changing the subject. "But Lee's going to eat with us, too."

Katara could never get used to hearing The Duke being referred to by his real name, or that fact that he and Toph were dating. It seemed like just yesterday Toph was twelve, fighting to gain her own identity and independence from her parents. Now, she was in a serious relationship and was an advisor to the Earth King.

"He's welcome to join us. Have you and Lee thought about settling down soon?"

"We'll get married when we're ready," she said, blushing slightly. "We're not rushing things."

"Oh come on," said Katara, playfully pushing her arm. "Even Ty Lee got married!"

"If you weren't pregnant, I would punch you," she mumbled.

"Who's pregnant?" asked Lee, walking into the shop.

Toph looked at Katara, who nodded. "Katara, but don't mention it in front of Aang. He doesn't know yet."

"Congratulations, Katara."

"Thank you, Lee. It's good to see you again."

He smiled at her and nodded, before taking a seat beside Toph and grabbing her hand. Katara smiled at them, wondering if she and Aang looked like that so long ago, when they were first in love.

"Hey, guys," said Aang, walking in. "I hope you haven't been waiting too long."

"We haven't," said Katara, as Aang bent down and gave her a kiss. "How was work this morning?"

"Lots of letter writing. How was the rebuilding, Toph?"

"Long and tedious," she said. "Desert people are so picky."

He smiled and Iroh brought out a tray of tea and dumplings. Iroh managed to run this shop by himself, but most days, he had other who helped him wait tables.

"Did you put Appa back in the stable?" asked Aang, taking a sip of his tea.

"No, I'm just letting him parade around Ba Sing Se, terrorizing small children," said Toph, sarcastically. "Of course I put him back in the stable."

"Hey, Appa wouldn't terrorize anyone. Kids like to use his tail for a slide."

"I've seen Appa go on a few rampages."

Aang just rolled his eyes. "How was work, dear?" he asked, turning to his wife. "Have you been feeling alright?"

"Work was slow, but I've been feeling better. Much better, actually."

Truth was, she had thrown up several times at work, but the excitement of the news of her pregnancy overtook all of that.

After lunch, she practically skipped back to work, where she informed everyone of the news and that she'd be taking the rest of the afternoon off. None of her fellow doctors complained, but instead gave her many congratulations, hugs, and advice.

"I get to deliver the baby!" said Lin, giggling excitedly.

"It's a little too early to be thinking about that," said Katara, giggling as well "I haven't even told my husband."

"Do you think the baby will be an airbender?" said Ya, one of the girls who was still in her apprenticeship stages.

"Have you thought about names? asked Jia, another one of the apprentices.

"Don't bombard her with questions," said Lilu, the oldest of the group who had several children of her own. "Now, Katara, go home and get started with your plans. We'll be fine here."

When she went home, she immediately got to work on dinner. If she was going to tell him tonight, she wanted the evening to be perfect. Knowing Aang's favorite food was egg-custard tarts, she made those first.

While she was cooking, though, the nerves of telling Aang began to creep up in her. What if he didn't want a child? What if he did faint? The worries were so intense that they exhausted her, so as soon as she put all the food on their table, ready to be eaten, she went into the bedroom and fell asleep.

With a déjà vu feeling, she was once again awoken by her husband stroking her hair. She smiled up at him, even though she was still exhausted. All the excitement of the news she was about to tell him came rushing back.

"Dinner looks good," he said, smiling back. "Though, you shouldn't have made it if you were so tired. I would have been happy to cook."

"I'm not that tired," she said. "Just taking a nap after work."

"Then let's eat," he said, helping her off the bed.

Throughout the meal, she felt like her sides were going to burst from anticipation. She couldn't stand not knowing how he would react. Would he be happy, or would he be upset? Did he even want a child right now, or did he think that work was more important? They hadn't really discussed children before, as both of them had been busy.

Right before dessert, she decided she had to say something.

"Aang," she said, grabbing his hands. "I need to tell you something. I've found out why I've been sick."

"Are you okay?" he asked, concern flaring up in his eyes.

"Yes, I'm more than okay. I'm pregnant, Aang. You're going to be a father."

For a moment, he was frozen in his chair, as if he couldn't process what she was saying. However, after a few moments, he broke into his usual, goofy, lopsided grin and hugged her.

"I can't believe it," he said. "We're going to be parents!"

"I'm about six weeks along," she said, resting her hands on her stomach. "I'll be due in about seven months."

He kissed her enthusiastically, and Katara felt relieved, unsure about what she was worrying about in the first place.

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><p>Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! If you'd like, review and tell me what you thought. Critiques are always welcome.<p> 


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